Description

Every now and then a glossy national magazine will run a feature titled something like, "The 50 things Americans 'must do' in their lifetime."

Almost invariably, the following item will appear on the list: "Watch a major sporting event at the Caesars Palace sports book on the Las Vegas Strip."

Agreed.

In typical Las Vegas hyperbole, Caesars hails itself as the "Home of Champions," and the resort's race and sports book lives up to the billing.

It's only appropriate that watching and betting on games at Caesars is said to transcend sports and claims a spot among the great American experiences for those who appreciate the finer things in life. After all, this is a hotel-casino that has hosted some of the most famous events in sports history, including fights involving Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns -- not to mention daredevil motorcycle jumps by Evel Knievel and (two decades later) his son Robbie.

Located in the heart of the Strip, amid all the action, the Caesars race and sports book was built (and later remodeled) in the tradition of the cavernous Las Vegas "mega book" -- and Caesars shows imitators how to do it right.

The book's setting is pleasantly dark and atmospheric. There are plenty of seats with individual TV monitors for horse players, and race and sports fans alike can follow the action on several monstrous TV screens and an ample number of smaller monitors.

You can also watch the action in comfortable plush chairs that surround coffee tables, which hold individual 12-inch flat screen televisions.

In fact, Caesars is No. 1 in the minds of many horse-racing fans, as plenty of space in the book and many of the TV monitors are devoted to the ponies. The Kentucky Derby parties Caesars throws for its VIP customers are legendary.

The book's large, easy-to-read electronic sports betting board displays all the day's action, along with other wagering options, and promptly updates scores of ongoing games.

For high rollers, Caesars has some of the highest betting limits in town. And for those addicted to parlay cards, the book offers daily cards just about every day of the year -- even in the middle of summer when nothing but baseball is on the board.

You can't go wrong by choosing this state-of-the-art sports book, which has set the standard for other sports books and keeps players coming in for quality and exciting experiences.